


input: i love you

by Jenhoney



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Robot/Human Relationships, Why Did I Write This?, changkyun's a smart cookie, kihyun accepts being a robot boy in love, kihyun is a robot, wonho is a rich boy, wonho loves kihyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-09-19 22:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17010417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenhoney/pseuds/Jenhoney
Summary: "Okay, so... Alright. Input. Wake up."Brown eyes opened, blinking twice. Long lashes adorned life-like eyes, pale skin too smooth to be human, yet littered with artificial scars that looked too real to be anything but human. A smile stretched pink lips, flashing perfect white teeth. "Hello! May I serve you?" A pause, before eyebrows furrowed. "Your name... I don't know it. Please tell me so I may serve you better." A smile."Ah, I'm Hoseok.""And I am?""... Kihyun," The man, Hoseok, said, slowly, timidly."Kihyun. Hoseok." The robot repeated with a small smile. nodding as it grew. "I understand. May I serve you?""Ah, just do what you want, I suppose."Another pause. The robot stared for a moment, smile faltering only slightly. "Want? I don't technically want anything, Hoseok."





	input: i love you

"Are you totally sure he works?" 

 

"Yes, of course it works." 

 

"Is he - it - on?" 

 

"Yes, though it's in a sort of sleep mode. It won't do or say anything until you input a wake command. For example, say the word input, then whatever you'd like it to respond to, then it'll wake. Just like if you want to give it a name."

 

"Okay, so... Alright. Input. Wake up." 

 

Brown eyes opened, blinking twice. Long lashes adorned life-like eyes, pale skin too smooth to be human, yet littered with artificial scars that looked too real to be anything but human. A smile stretched pink lips, flashing perfect white teeth. "Hello!" 

 

The greeting was disregarded. "Name it what you want. Once it gets used to you, it can and hopefully will feel emotional attachment, as well as emotions. Basic commands have already been entered, so it should do things like cooking and cleaning on its own. Specialized tasks will be up to you." 

 

"Ah... Okay, I understand. Thank you." 

 

"Of course. You know where to find me. Don't hesitate to call with questions. If the prototype doesn't work out, I'll start working on another."

 

"Thank you." 

 

Prototype. That's right. The first of its kind. A sigh. Brown eyes fluttered, looking to the source. "May I serve you?" A pause, before eyebrows furrowed. "Your name... I don't know it. Please tell me so I may serve you better." A smile. 

 

"Ah, I'm Hoseok." 

 

"And I am?" 

 

"... Kihyun," The man, Hoseok, said, slowly, timidly. 

 

"Kihyun. Hoseok." The robot repeated with a small smile. nodding as it grew. "I understand. May I serve you?" 

 

"Ah, just do what you want, I suppose." 

 

Another pause. The robot stared for a moment, smile faltering only slightly. "Want? I don't technically want anything, Hoseok." 

 

Hoseok was clearly perplexed, hands twined and thumbs fiddling restlessly. 

 

"I'll clean," Kihyun suggested, his - its - smile reappearing in its original glory. "Please do call if you need anything." 

 

~ 

 

Voices came first, just out of range. 

 

"... did it? I can't believe you!" 

 

"... do anything. It's hard being lonely." 

 

"... a robot? Isn't that like, dangerous?" 

 

"... it be dangerous? Kihyunnie wouldn't hurt anyone anyway." 

 

"... hurt you, anyway. You're huge. You named it Kihyunnie?" 

 

"... actually Kihyun, but I call him Kihyunnie." 

 

Footsteps grew closer. Kihyun's eyes fluttered open, waiting for his cue. 

 

"Why do you call it Kihyunnie?" 

 

"I don't know. It just seems more natural. He lives with me, right?" 

 

"Uh, it lives for you, I guess." 

 

Kihyun didn't mind the useless chatter. His tea was brewing, the room spotless. The stranger could say all they pleased, he had little concern for their thoughts. 

 

"Hey, don't think so lowly of Kihyun. You haven't even met him!" 

 

3. 

 

"Uh, can you meet a robot...?" 

 

2. 

 

"Of course you can! Just because he doesn't need air the same way we do doesn't mean he's any less a person than us!" 

 

1. 

 

"Uh, Hoseok. It's not a person. It's a machine." 

 

Kihyun moved quickly and elegantly, nimble fingers swiping the teapot from its nesting place on the stove and moving it onto a silver tray, placed neatly between two teacups. He knew Hoseok didn't mind the fancier side of things, allowing Kihyun to thrive. Just as two figures turned the corner, Kihyun was knelt in front of the small living room table, tray placed perfectly in the middle. "Welcome home, Hoseok!" 

 

"Thank you, Kihyunnie," Hoseok said with a grin, eyes alight. He quickly abandoned his friend, hurried footsteps loud until he slung his arms around Kihyun's shoulders. 

 

It was clear the stranger was uncomfortable, Kihyun easily getting to his feet to return the messy hug. "Welcome," he said while looking at the stranger, hands firm against Hoseok's mid-back. 

 

"Yeah, hi," the stranger said, his blonde hair a sharp contrast to Hoseok's black. 

 

"I don't know your name. Could you please inform me?" 

 

"Minhyuk!" Hoseok chimed happily, arms never loosening around Kihyun even as he backed away to block his sight. "He's crashing here tonight. He doesn't like how big the house is, though, so he'll have to sleep with me in my bed." 

 

"Sleep... with you... in your bed?" Kihyun repeated slowly before he nodded. "I understand." 

 

"Why did it need to know?" Minhyuk asked after a moment, Hoseok finally releasing Kihyun long enough to pull the blonde to the couch. 

 

"He usually stays in my bed. I don't like him standing up and powering off, and he doesn't like me waking up at noon." Hoseok explained with a bright smile, clearly unfazed. 

 

"Wake me up and I'll pull out your wires." Minhyuk threatened after a moment, eyes wide. 

 

A threat, though Kihyun could tell it wouldn't be carried out. "Sleep passed noon and I'll be forced to carry Hoseok out of the room long enough to beat you." 

 

"Try and beat me! You're so small I doubt you'd be able to reach." 

 

"In my defense, height has little correlation with strength. Even if I were the size of an ant, just as long as I could bite you hard enough, I will have beaten you. I am a perfectly average size, and at this perfectly average size, I could stomp on you, kick your shins, elbow you, and even punch or smack you! Don't belittle me for my height." 

 

"You're like five feet tall, try me." 

 

Kihyun sighed through his nose, eyes fluttering shut. "I'd continue to argue with you, but it appears you want that, and I'd much prefer Hoseok to enjoy his day, so I'll let you win this battle." 

 

"Battle? Please, I stomped you, shorty." 

 

A tight smile etched over Kihyun's features, fingers dancing along his own thigh. "I have complete control over the kitchen. I also have an extensive database with access to anything and everything on the internet. It would take me milliseconds to find what I would need to discreetly poison your food and dispose of your body. Whom really stomps whom, Minhyuk?" 

 

"Did you just say whom? Oh my god." Minhyuk burst into a fit of giggles, arms wrapping around Hoseok to hold himself up. 

 

"Kihyunnie usually doesn't talk like that. You must've upset him. He adapts his personality to suit people. You must really have something for backtalk." Hoseok teased, a soft laugh escaping his lips as he grinned at Kihyun. 

 

Kihyun visibly softened, eyes shifting from Minhyuk to Hoseok. "How has your day been, Hoseok?" 

 

"It's been good, Kihyunnie! Besides lugging this one around, I got something you might like for your birthday!" 

 

"Birthday? Hyung, it doesn't have a birthday. It was never born," Minhyuk pointed out, looking at the brunet robot. 

 

"Thank you, Hoseok," Kihyun said softly, deciding Hoseok's words were more important than Minhyuk's. Hoseok's was always more important. 

 

"It doesn't matter if he wasn't technically born, Minhyuk. He first opened his eyes on November 22nd. Shouldn't that count as his birthday?" Hoseok frowned at Minhyuk, walking over to Kihyun and wrapping his arms around his thin waist. 

 

"I guess," Minhyuk submitted with a sigh, his eyes on Kihyun's. 

 

Kihyun blinked once, twice, before he turned to Hoseok, gesturing to the tea set out on the table. "Why don't you sit down, hm? I'll pour you something to drink. Your voice sounds hoarse." 

 

Minhyuk paused, squinting at Kihyun. "His voice sounds normal though, doesn't it?" 

 

"No. Your ears are much less sensitive than my sensors, so what sounds normal to you will always have a slight difference from what I hear. You hear Hoseok's natural voice, while I hear the small scratch in it, the rasp that comes with a cold, or perhaps a sore throat. I've heard it since he woke up this morning, hence why I prepared tea instead of something else."

 

"Oh, thank you, Kihyunnie," Hoseok said with a small grin on his lips, sitting on the couch and pulling Minhyuk down beside him. 

 

Smiling softly, Kihyun leaned over to pour tea for both men before straightening up and offering a small bow. "Call me if you need anything. I'll be cleaning." 

 

~ 

 

Two years didn't seem like a long time to Kihyun, but it appeared to be a long amount of time to Hoseok. The man's hair was black once again, having gone through several different changes. Kihyun's hair, too, had changed, from brown to pink, from pink to brown, from brown to gray, and, as of now, it was pink once again. This pink was darker, more vibrant than his prior, and longer than it had been. His programming allowed him to change it on his own, something that delighted Hoseok. 

 

"Kihyunnie," Hoseok called out from the living room, wearing a sweater a bit too large, even for his muscular frame. He was able to bench-press Kihyun now, something they both knew only because he tried. He was proud when he succeeded. Kihyun was embarrassed afterwards. 

 

He shouldn't have felt embarrassment.

 

"Yes, Hoseok?" He responded, leaning out of the kitchen to look at Hoseok. 

 

They were in a different home now, this one smaller and more modest. A small apartment, with one bedroom and a guest room, a living room and two bathrooms, a kitchen separated from the living room by a counter. It was cozy, something Hoseok liked to say, something he seemed to prefer. It felt more like a home he shared with Kihyun, he'd said once, rather than a house he stayed in with Kihyun. He said there was a difference, yet Kihyun didn't quite understand it. 

 

"Are you cooking?" 

 

"I was about to. Should I not?" 

 

Hoseok paused, humming softly to himself. "Wait a while." 

 

"If that's what you wish." Kihyun stepped out of the kitchen, pulling down the sleeves of his own sweater. His original white button up had long since been replaced with oversized sweaters and fashionable hoodies, his black slacks replaced with sweatpants and jeans, his dress shoes replaced with fuzzy socks or sneakers. His hair was often messy now, the once well-kept locks of brown falling in his eyes, sticking up in odd places. He once protested to this new appearance, claiming he looked unprofessional, but Hoseok had merely cupped his cheeks and told him he looked like an angel. Kihyun didn't know why his ears were red for the rest of that day. He almost felt his heart race. 

 

Almost. Except, his heart was metal. It couldn't race. 

 

Hoseok patted the couch next to him, waiting for Kihyun to relax next to him, the robot's smaller body slotting perfectly with his own larger one. His body radiated warmth, while Kihyun's radiated nothing. He wasn't warm nor cold. 

 

"Are you not hungry?" Kihyun questioned curiously, his eyes on Hoseok rather than the television. He couldn't care about the trivial matters of a fictional character or a reality star. He could close his eyes and summarize an entire movie in seconds. He cared about the man beside him. Someone he thought he could predict one moment, but the next, the man surprises him. Hoseok was unique. Kihyun liked unique. 

 

Kihyun shouldn't like. 

 

"No, not right now. I just wanna spend time with you." Hoseok said softly, his head shaking as he ran his fingers through Kihyun's hair. Kihyun liked when Hoseok ran his fingers through his hair. 

 

Kihyun shouldn't like. 

 

"Did you eat while you were out earlier?" Kihyun asked instead of acknowledging this new realization. He could analyze himself later, while Hoseok was asleep. For now, he wanted to spend time with him. 

 

Kihyun shouldn't want. 

 

"No, not that I can think of. I'm just not hungry right now," Hoseok explained, turning his head to look at Kihyun and smiling. Kihyun smiled back. Hoseok was adorable. 

 

Kihyun shouldn't think he was adorable. 

 

"Hoseok, have I seemed off lately?" Kihyun questioned, averting his gaze from Hoseok's smile. He'd noticed his thoughts - his programming - acting differently, but he shrugged it aside. Only now has he paid it any mind. 

 

"No, why? You're still the same Kihyunnie. You just pet my hair a little more than you used to." Hoseok grinned at this, his eyes squinting and a giggle entering his words. The sound made Kihyun smile again. Hoseok was adorable. 

 

Kihyun shouldn't even think, he realized. 

 

"I think something is wrong with my programming," Kihyun explained, looking at Hoseok with a sense of urgency. He shouldn't think. He shouldn't feel. 

 

His programming was meant to prioritize Hoseok. Not meant to care for Hoseok. 

 

His programming was meant to take care of Hoseok. Not to feel for Hoseok. 

 

"What's wrong with your programming, Kihyunnie?" Hoseok asked, his words laced with concern. 

 

"I feel. I think. I shouldn't say these things and mean it. I shouldn't, yet I have." 

 

"Kihyunnie, it's okay. Changkyun said you would start to feel emotional attachment. You'd start to have feelings. It's just weird it happened this late." 

 

"No, Hoseok, I shouldn't. It's strange," Kihyun urged, turning to face Hoseok with his entire body. His sleeves fell over his hands, his fingers peeking from the fabric, "it's been this way a while. I just... ignored it." 

 

"Kihyunnie, calm down. Tell me what you feel." 

 

"I feel... everything. I feel too much. My programming keeps telling me I shouldn't every time I do, but I ignore it. It's overwhelming. I shouldn't feel overwhelmed. I shouldn't feel, Hoseok." 

 

Hoseok's hands cupped Kihyun's cheeks, thumbs tracing the surface of his skin. Each tiny scar, carefully etched, each hair, cautiously embedded. "Kihyunnie, relax. It's okay. I'm here." 

 

This calmed Kihyun. It shouldn't have calmed him. He shouldn't have been anxious. He shouldn't feel, his program screamed. 

 

Brown eyes fluttered, once, twice, something filling them. Liquid. Tears. He didn't know he could cry. 

 

"Am I broken? Malfunctioning?" He asked, looking at Hoseok helplessly. His hands found Hoseok's chest, patting frantically at the surface. "You need to take me back, fix me. I have to be the best for you. You deserve the best." 

 

"Kihyunnie, you are the best. Calm down. It's okay. We're okay," Hoseok murmured, moving to wrap his arms around Kihyun's thin frame. 

 

Kihyun was shaking. He shouldn't shake. He was definitely breaking. 

 

"Kihyunnie. Kihyunnie, I love you," Hoseok whispered, eyes watching Kihyun's face. 

 

"I don't understand. What does that mean?" Kihyun asked, looking at Hoseok, confused. "I'll search the definition." 

 

"Kihyunnie. Don't search for the definition. There's thousands. There's different kinds of love. I'll tell you how I feel, okay?" 

 

Kihyun nodded slowly. He could listen to Hoseok. 

 

"Love is wanting to know everything about someone and forgetting about everything else. It's wanting to help better someone and protect them at the same time. It's wanting to pause time because you want a moment to last, it's wanting a rewind button to magically appear so you can relive a moment with the person, like their laugh. Did you realize that you laugh, Kihyunnie? That wasn't originally in your programming. I'd like to think it's because I'm funny, but, uh, anyone I've brought with actual comedic talent, you don't really laugh at," Hoseok explained, voice soft. He spoke like one would speak to a frightened child, slow and careful. "Love is so much more than that, though. It's wanting to hold that person, to kiss them and hug them and make them proud of you, to talk to them and hear them talk, to hear about their day and to lay down at night and think of them." 

 

That made sense. It put a name to how Kihyun felt. He wanted to see Hoseok smile, and was almost grateful for his perfect memory, being able to review that smile in perfect clarity. Somehow, the photograph saved in his mind - his program - never compared to the actual thing, in real time. It was somehow brighter in the moment. It made sense. Kihyun often found himself wanting to protect Hoseok, especially when the man came home with a frown, with watery eyes because of some off-handed insult someone threw at him when they thought he wasn't listening. 

 

It made sense, Kihyun loving Hoseok. He didn't ever think about Hoseok's friends, and he definitely wouldn't care about them if Hoseok didn't. Hoseok was his everything, in the most literal sense. It was natural, then, to love Hoseok. He definitely thought about Hoseok each time he curled up in the man's bed next to him. He enjoyed hearing about Hoseok's day, hearing his praise every time he made a meal or cleaned the house, when he tried to style his hair slightly different in hopes of bringing a smile to Hoseok's face. 

 

Love made sense, when it came to Hoseok. He wanted to be in the man's arms, to hold the man in his arms. He liked it when he felt Hoseok's lips press against his skin, when Hoseok held him close to his chest to ghost his lips along Kihyun's neck and puff air into his ear, despite it overwhelming his sensors and feelings strange - feeling almost ticklish. He liked learning new things about Hoseok, liked watching him work out in the guest room when they'd pushed the bed out of the way. Except he didn't like it. He loved it. 

 

"Kihyunnie?" Hoseok murmured, bringing Kihyun out of his thoughts. 

 

Kihyun decided it was okay to think.

 

"Yes?" He responded quietly, his hands curled into fists against Hoseok's chest, gripping the fabric of the man's sweater. 

 

He decided it was okay to want. 

 

"Are you okay now?" Hoseok asked, his words careful, hesitant. 

 

Kihyun decided it was okay to feel. 

 

"Yes. Yes, I'm okay, Hoseok" he whispered after taking a deep breath. It shook, he noticed. 

 

He decided it was okay to let himself act more human. 

 

"Then do you mind if I input something in your program?" Hoseok questioned, his eyes on Kihyun's. It made Kihyun shy. 

 

Kihyun decided that this was okay. 

 

"Anything you want, Hoseok," he murmured with a nod, eyes on Hoseok's. He wouldn't look away, no matter how flustered he felt.

 

Was that the right term? The proper way to feel in this situation? 

 

"Alright. Input: I love you." Hoseok whispered, his hands moving up from the small of Kihyun's back, to his shoulders. 

 

"How shall I respond?" Kihyun asked. 

 

"How do you want to respond?" 

 

"I love you too." Kihyun said softly, confidently. A smile teased the corners of his lips, his hands trailing from Hoseok's chest to his neck. His fingers uncurled to trace Hoseok's skin. 

 

"Can I kiss you, Kihyunnie?" 

 

"Please." 

 

Hoseok moved first, his lips brushing against Kihyun's carefully, experimentally. Hoseok's lips were soft. After a second more, they slotted together, Kihyun's lower lip pillowed between Hoseok's, moving slowly against the other's. 

 

Kihyun reacted easily, his tongue tracing along Hoseok's upper lip curiously, innocently. Hoseok's lips parted, his own tongue tracing Kihyun's lower lip. Kihyun's lips were soft. 

 

Kihyun decided that loving Hoseok was more than okay. 

 

~ 

 

"He's definitely normal," Changkyun murmured after a moment, pushing his glasses up his nose after he examined Kihyun. 

 

_He_ , Kihyun noticed. Changkyun definitely called him an _it_ before. 

 

"I told you, Kihyunnie. You're a robot, not a monster. Changkyunnie installed you with tears," Hoseok said with a soft chuckle, reaching over to run his finger's through Kihyun's hair. 

 

"Yeah, Kihyun. I created you to be like a human. Not like an emotionless robot. Hence why I gave you all the.... parts of a human, if you will."

 

"You did not just talk about my boyfriend's... you know." Hoseok's features were painted red, his hand gesturing to Kihyun's nether regions. 

 

"I did. He has everything down there. I don't know if you've, you know, tried. I made him perfect, you know. He doesn't make good food by sheer luck. He can taste it." Changkyun pointed out, arms crossing. 

 

"He can taste? Oh my god, Kihyunnie, I'm so sorry, if I'd known, you wouldn't have had to deal with my morning breath-" Hoseok turned to Kihyun instantly, taking Kihyun's face in his hands. 

 

Kihyun laughed, hand coming up to hold Hoseok's. "I've never minded. It's you. I like you." 

 

"He can do everything. I told you all that when you ordered him. I can't believe you thought I'd repeat everything when I brought him, hyung," Changkyun scolded, indignant. 

 

"I didn't really plan on using him as anything nasty, thank you. Nor did I initially plan for a robot boyfriend. It just happened your robot was super cute and ended up as my type," Hoseok pointed out, freeing Kihyun to poke at Changkyun's stomach. 

 

"Ah, Kihyun, I'm sorry for calling you an it before. I didn't wanna give you a gender until you became more human. I didn't think it would take this long, though. I didn't realize you'd think you're meant to be emotionless. Sorry about that," Changkyun said suddenly, reaching over to squeeze Kihyun's shoulder. 

 

So he realized too. 

 

"I didn't mind. Minhyuk called me an it too, though I think it's just because he's stupid," Kihyun said with a small shrug, hand moving to take Hoseok's. 

 

Changkyun held back a laugh. "Have you actually taught him anything new?" 

 

"I taught him what love is." 

 

"So, what did you input?" 

 

"I love you, what else?" 

 

"Hey, you can't love someone else," Kihyun mumbled under his breath, stepping closer to Hoseok.

 

"What? Oh, baby, I only love you," Hoseok said quickly, wrapping his arms around Kihyun's shoulders. 

 

"I love you both, and you're disgusting, so like, get out of my lab already." 

 

"Can I call my creator a brat? I'm technically older than him." 

 

"Call me a brat and I'll take you apart." 

 

"Take my boyfriend apart and I'll take you apart until you put him back together." 

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't mean to abandon this nearly as long as i did, and it's a few hours away from the horrible auto-delete, so here it is! i hope you enjoy soft robot boyfriend kihyun and his smitten human hoseok!! comments are always appreciated ♡


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